Sheffield United vs West Ham Odds
| Sheffield United Odds | +240 |
| West Ham Odds | +120 |
| Draw | +230 |
| Over / Under | 2.5 +105o / -134u |
West Ham will look to boost its latest European aspirations when it visits a Sheffield United side whose survival hopes are already slim with nearly half the season still to play.
The Hammers begin the weekend sixth in the league, with the opportunity to close the gap to three points on fifth-place Tottenham. But they'll be looking to recapture some of the momentum they ended 2023 with following a tough defeat at Bristol City in an FA Cup replay during midweek.
Meanwhile, the Blades haven't played in two weeks following a comfortable 4-0 FA Cup win over Gillingham. But they begin the weekend eight points from safety with 18 matches to play and have won only twice in the league, albeit with both victories coming at home.
The Hammers earned a 2-0 home win in the sides' previous league meeting in late September, decided on first-half goals from Jarrod Bowen and Tomáš Souček.
Let's break down the match in our Sheffield United vs West Ham preview and prediction.
Sheffield United
The results have improved only marginally since Chris Wilder took over as manager for Paul Heckingbottom. But given the schedule, maybe it's too soon to judge his rescue project.
The Blades were unlucky to lose 3-2 at home to relegation rivals Luton Town in a match in which the Blades created a season-high 2.4 expected goals.
Otherwise, Wilder's results have included a win over Brentford, a draw against Villa that despite conceding late has to be considered a point gained rather than two lost, and losses to Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool — sides that even the most optimistic Blades fans did not expect any points from.
It also might be too early to know whether the trend of having very little possession under Wilder will hold in the longer term. They've had 25% of the ball against Villa, City, Chelsea and Liverpool, but were far more proactive in their other matches.
The Blades may have among the least potent attacks in the Premier League, but they've only been held without a goal three times in front of their home fans in league play. They have yet to score more than two in any game against Premier League competition though, regardless of venue.
One wildcard for Sunday: Villareal loanee Ben Brereton Díaz is likely to make his Premier League debut. He hasn't caught on in La Liga but is not far removed from scoring 36 times across two League Championship seasons with Blackburn Rovers.
Check out the latest bet365 bonus code offer before placing your bets on Sheffield United vs West Ham.
West Ham
West Ham flirted with relegation while making its run to win the Europa Conference League title last season, but this time around are looking toward the other end of the table after it also eyes the knockout phase of the Europa League.
And after earning results earlier in the season based primarily on their attacking exploits, the Hammers have been in their best defensive form of the season since mid-December, keeping clean sheets in five of their last eight games in all competitions.
As is often the case with David Moyes' teams, they excel when they're permitted to play on the counter. They're unbeaten in their last four league matches despite keeping 35% or less possession in three of those games, and less than half in all four.
But they've also won games in situations that have required them to be the protagonists — one explanation for their substantial improvement over last year — inlcuding a sweep of the three sides currently in the relegation places during the first half of the league fixture list.
However, injuries and the international schedule could limit the Hammers' attack on Sunday. Bowen — their top scorer with 11 goals — is questionable with an ankle issue, and six-goal scorer Mohammed Kudus is at the African Cup of Nations. Creative midfielder Lucas Paquetá is definitely out with a calf issue.
Sheffield United vs West Ham
Prediction
The pretty clear play here is a wager on both teams to score at -118 odds and an implied 54.1% probability.
The wager has hit in six of the Blades' 10 home league matches and eight of the Hammers' 10 away league games.
West Ham has also shown difficulty in keeping clean sheets when its the team charged with doing the majority of the attacking — maintaining only one in games where it held more than 50% of the possession.
And Sheffield United is healthier than it has been at other points in the season, not to mention the possibility of Brereton Díaz giving the attack a much-needed boost.
The price here either isn't factoring in the Blades' relative competence on the attack at home, or is overcompensating for West Ham's potential absences. Either way, it's probably a solid place to take advantage of a below-average number on this market.
Pick: Both teams to score (-118 via FanDuel)
